The Trust launched their Civic Activism Programme at the 174 Trust in Belfast in January 2015.

Trust launches Civic Activism Programme

22 January 2015

The Building Change Trust launched its exciting and innovative Civic Activism Programme at the Duncairn Centre for Culture and Arts in Belfast this week.

The programme aims to give Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations the opportunity to experiment with innovative approaches to engaging people in decision-making processes that impact on their lives.

29 innovative tools have been brought together in a Civic Activism Toolkit, with examples and tips drawn from successful projects around the world.

Interested VCSE organisations are being encouraged to try out one or more of the tools featured in the directory and awards are being made available to support this work.

The application window has now opened for around 15 awards which the Trust will be issuing in spring 2015. Any VCSE organisation will be eligible to apply, whether working to influence decisions at a local or regional level.

The grants will be accompanied by structured learning support, including the opportunity to develop a learning partnership with an organisation outside NI that has experience of using the tool(s) in question.

Paul Braithwaite, Development and Implementation Officer at the Trust, said: “In producing this toolkit we wanted to highlight some of the most innovative and creative approaches to civic activism being used around the world.

"Many of these haven’t been tried in Northern Ireland before and we’re delighted to be able to provide an opportunity for local organisations to pilot them.

"Used effectively in a local context, these tools can be instrumental in deepening local democracy, ensuring the voices of the some of the most marginalised citizens and communities in Northern Ireland are heard, and acted upon by decision-makers.

"We’re excited to see what ideas emerge through the application process in the coming weeks”.

In addition to the main launch in Belfast, the Trust will be organising a series of information workshops in locations around Northern Ireland in late January and early February 2015.

The Building Change Trust is a charity registered with The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland NIC103379 , its corporate Trustee, Building Change Trust Limited is registered as a company limited by guarantee in Northern Ireland NI071182

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